Two French aviation design studios are betting on gambling in the air .

Jean-Pierre Alfano of AirJet Designs and Frédérique Houssard , the founder of Designescence , have teamed up to create the Casino Jet Lounge , a luxe bar-cum-casino they hope will one day become standard on long-haul commercial flights . The Casino Jet Lounge features trendy seating , a drinks area and a blackjack table .

`` We 're trying to bring back the glamor of the '50s and '60s a little bit ; the kind you see in the James Bond movies , '' says Houssard .

The concept is relatively new -LRB- launched last October -RRB- , so as of now , Houssard and Alfano are still in talks with various airlines .

The idea of in-flight gambling may seem like a new one , principally because no airline is currently doing it . But in reality , the concept has been around for decades .

Singapore Airlines took gambling up in the air in 1981 , when they installed lightweight slot machines in the aisles on a flight that operated between Singapore and San Francisco . It was an experiment that lasted a mere two months . The company admits the machines posed `` an operational challenge '' , and had them removed .

See also : In-flight internet taking off

In the 1990s , Swissair installed gambling software that allowed passengers to bet up to $ 350 on a variety of casino classics , including poker , keno and blackjack . It seemed other carriers were going to follow suit , that is , until a Swissair plane crashed in 1998 . Air crash investigators implicated a failure of the jet 's in-flight entertainment system as a reason for the disaster .

However , the idea of in-flight gambling re-emerged a few years ago . Virgin Atlantic Airways tycoon Richard Branson announced in 2005 that a handful of recently purchased A380 planes would include double beds and in-flight casinos .

`` You 'll have two ways to get lucky on a Virgin flight , '' he joked with The New York Times .

The company seems to have backtracked since then .

`` Casinos were just an idea , along with many other ideas we talked about a few years ago , '' a Virgin spokesman told CNN . `` Truthfully , we did not really get any further with it . ''

They declined to comment as to why they did n't ultimately implement casinos on their A380s .

Ryanair announced in 2004 that it would introduce gambling through an in-flight entertainment system , though this too has yet to come to fruition . Ryanair 's head of communications , Stephen McNamara , said the company still hopes to do so in the future .

`` We do n't have the technology in place at the moment , but hopefully we will in the next two or three years , '' he says . `` Really , the reason we do n't currently is based on the expense of the Wi-Fi technology that would be required for it . We 're waiting for the price to come down . ''

See also : Ryanair considers serving in-flight porn

Aside from the initial investment , there are several other barriers to introducing casinos on airplanes . For starters , as more carriers are unrolling Wi-Fi on their flights , passengers could feasibly just gamble online from their mobile devices . One wonders if this would n't defeat the purpose of airlines investing in their own gaming systems .

McNamara says that Ryanair plans to combat the issue by ultimately offering `` closed loop '' Wi-Fi , so that passengers will have to go through the airline 's own system to gamble .

Houssard and Alfano also do n't see online gambling as competition to their own concept .

`` When you 're gambling on your screen , or on your phone , you 're still cramped with other people . If you get out of your seat and enter another space with your friends and colleagues , it gives you a completely different experience , '' notes Alfano .

`` When you 're on a 14-hour flight , even when you 're in business class , all you can really do is eat , drink , watch movies and sleep . The Casino Jet Lounge is n't just a bar or entertainment idea . We see it as a social space . ''

It 's difficult to imagine that airlines would be willing to give over potential passenger space -LRB- and the fares that come with it -RRB- to a social arena , but Alfano says if designed properly , there should n't be a conflict .

See also : In-flight phone calls to become standard , experts say

`` Most big aircrafts have crew rest areas and lavatories in the cargo area down below . The space could be easily rearranged to include a social space , without representing a loss of revenue , '' he says .

The biggest obstacle to in-flight gambling , however , is a legal one . Since 1994 , gambling has been prohibited in U.S. airspace . Still , Houssard believes that this might change in the future .

`` A few years ago , it was forbidden to play games for money on the internet . It was not open then , but now you can play online . A lot of things are changing . ''

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Two French design studios have teamed up to create a model for an in-fight casino

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Ryanair is considering introducing gambling aboard its aircraft via an in-fight entertainment system

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In 2005 , Virgin Atlantic announced it would introduce casinos on board some planes , but has since backtracked

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Singapore Airlines introduced slot machines onto its panes in 1981 , an experiment that lasted two months